Dodge City times., 1887-05-05
THE TIMES.
OUR SOIL AND SUBs0IL.

OUR SOIL AND SUBSOIL.
We spoke Of the fact that people
had been slow to appreciate the exceIl-
ence of the soil of this section of Kan
sas, and it il by no means strange that
such was the case. On all the maps
published it was laid down as desert
waste, and few sand hills along the
main travelled route near the river tend
ed to keep up the notion that the whole
soil was sandy. But in fact those few
sand hills are as unlike the general soil
of the prairies - chalk is to cheese,
and the uplsnds of Western Kansas,
comprising fully nine-tenths Of the
whole, are not sandy At all. The sand
hills are q foreign importation and don't
properly belong here. They are what
geologists call s'drift" and came from .
very different country, sometimes
spoken of rs 'sThe Lord knows where"
Prof. Hay, of the U. s. geological sur
vey, was the first to discover and an
nounce the true character of the West
ern Kansas soil and subsoil. He pro-
claimed it to be . species of mari, con-
tsining all the elements of vegetable
growth in large proportions, and his
statement has been coroborated by
chemical analysis, showing that the
subsoil has . considerable intermixture
of gypsum in its composition which en-
sbles it to hold the moisture needed for
the support of vegetation to an extent
far greater than the subsoils of any
other section.
And this ANALYSIS has been fully
bourne out and conformed by the ex-
perience Of our farmers, who in the
last three years have raised fine crops
on the uplands which seem to have the
power of resisting the drouth and hot
weather in manner altogether unex-
pected from their experience in other
states, and in the eastern parts Of this
state.
Those farmers who have used ground
gypsum on corn, wheat and clover, in
the older states, will be at no loss to un-
derstand and appreciate the effect of
gypsum where it is found as an ingred-
lent of the soil, and those who have
seen and examined the immense lodges
Of rock gypsum in the var;ons counties
of Western Kansas, will have no doubt
of its prevalence in the soil. Kansas
has probably more gypsum in solid or
rock form than any other or all other
states in the Union.
Our soil is found to be almost entirely
destitute Of sand upon the upland forma-
tions, and of texture the finest that can
we'll be imagined. Hence it never 'bakes"
in cakes when properly cultivated, an ID
if kept stirred and loose upon the sur
face will not dry out SO as to injure the
growth Of crops through long terms of
hot and dry weather. Though it seems
to be hard in its natural state, it only
needs the magic influence of the plow to
change its appearance entirely and be-
come as mellow as the finest garden soil
in the world. And then we have the
additional advantages that this wonderful
mari formation, usually not less than
forty feet deep, will absorb all the rains
that fall and never show the least neces-
sity for draining. Hence, our roads are
naturally the best in the world and al
ways will be SO, except where irrigation
bitches insuficiently cared for, are al
lowed to overflow them. But on vast
areas of our great Southwest, irrigation
bitches will never be seen and never be
needed, the peculiar qualities of the soil
and subsoil, as heretofore shown being
such as to retain all needed moisture
and render irrigation unnecessary.
The plow and the cultivator will prove
all sufficient for the crops, and as our
natural rain fall has seldom been less,
than twenty-five inches during the year
this taken up as in = sponge by our won
derful soil and prevented from running
of or escaping by evaporation, as it will
be BY thorough tillage, will assure the
maturing Of the crops to the surprise of
al outsiders, as it did last summer.
This peculiar composition of our upland
soil and subsoil will prove, We think the
grand advantages of Southwestern Kan
sas over Ill other sections. Sentinel.